Artist aids cancer fight

The eerie Gormley sculptures in the dramatic Goldfields landscape will be brought to life by an Eaton artist – to raise money for charity. Peter O’Shaughnessy will present

Peter O'Shaughnessy will present his first solo exhibition, Figures on the Lake, from this Friday at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer Council.

Mr O’Shaughnessy, who has been painting since he was five years old, began raising money for the Cancer Council after the death of his wife.

“All the money goes into research.

"I get to pick the project and meet the researchers,” Mr O’Shaughnessy said.

“My wife swore by tea tree oil, she used it on everything and purely by coincidence the list of projects includes one looking at the use of tea tree oil for killing cancer cells – that had to be the project.”

The exhibition will feature 20 pieces of art chronicling the destruction of world-renowned artist Anthony Gormley’s statues at Lake Ballard.

“I was out there on my last trip and someone had been trying to break arms off them and fires had been lit underneath them,” Mr O’Shaughnessy said.

The exhibition will be opened this Friday by Dr Val Lishman in the Front Room Gallery at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries.